Reflection
by Cheeky-Chick1only
Summary: When Loki is aboard the helicarrier Tony makes several observations about his behavior. And he can't help but notice that it is like looking at his own reflection. He decides to offer him a way out


"You're not fooling anyone you know?"

Loki looked up, startled to hear someone in the room. He looked out of the cage and was surprised to see none other than—"Ah, the Man of Iron. I am honored."

Tony matched Loki's smirk, "You should be. I am, after all, a very busy man."

Loki made a sound of amusement and said, "Well then perhaps we should not waste time on small talk. What exactly is it that you came here to say?"

Tony looked at him, smirk sliding off his face as he took on a serious expression. "I came here to tell you that your pathetic little act isn't fooling anyone, or at least it isn't fooling me."

Loki frowned at the audacity of the mortal in front of him. "And what exactly is it that you think I am doing, Man of Iron?"

Tony let out a mirthless laugh, "You should know that you don't really have to bother with trying to out-wit me. You can't do it. And I see exactly what is going on with you. You're afraid right now."

Loki snarled. "I am not afraid of you, Man or Iron. Nor am I afraid of anything you pathetic mortals think to try to use against me. I am a god and I will not succumb to the wrath of a few measly mortals!"

Tony looked at him, utterly calm, "I never said you were afraid of _us_." At Loki's look of confusion he said, "I recognize you right now. I used to _be _you."

Angry now, Loki spat, "You think yourself on my level, mortal?"

"You've been somewhere. Somewhere that you couldn't escape. And there were people there who hurt you. And you knew nobody was going to rescue you and that you had only your tricks and your own mind to try and free yourself." Tony said calmly, looking at Loki's rapidly paling face.

Loki swallowed before saying in a deathly quiet voice, "And what would you know of it Stark? What would you know of the abyss?"

Tony sighed, sitting in the chair opposite the cage. "I told you, I used to be you. This shiny light in my chest," Tony tapped the arc reactor, "it isn't here for show. I got this in a cave. You know why I got it? Because I trusted someone I shouldn't have. I knew him all my life and he ripped out my heart and left me on the floor to die."

Loki looked at Tony with interest, though he was still wary. He did not like where this was going. He had not considered that Stark would try to speak with him, and he was unnerved by how much he seemed to understand.

"But that isn't the story I'm telling now. He ordered a hit on me but I was kept alive. I was in that god forsaken cave for three months. I knew that nobody would find me, hell I wasn't even sure people were really looking. I'm—well let's just say I'm not the most popular guy. But I was smarter than them and I tricked them. And I made them provide me with everything I needed to escape."

Tony could tell he had struck a nerve there with Loki. "And I can see the look written all over your face, you are tricking them, but you still aren't safe yet, are you?" Loki stared at the mortal, for once at a complete loss for words. The man's words were striking way too close for comfort.

"See, the way I figure it is you are trying something. You surrendered to me. I fought with your brother, my weapons would not have killed you, I'm not even sure they would have _hurt _you. And I knocked your brother away from you and he and I were busy, but you didn't even try to escape. You waited for us. Why? Why would you want on the helicarrier? My thought is a sneak attack. But why would you attack us where we're all together? You had plenty of opportunity to kill Captain America before I showed up, hell you probably could have crashed the helicopter we were flying in and killed us then. There is nothing you could be planning to do here that would do anything more than antagonize us.

"Also, you're smart. When you took over Agent Barton's mind you had to have gotten a download on the most capable fighters this planet had to offer. You had to know about my suit. I'm fairly sure you knew about Captain America. You probably even knew about the Hulk. But instead of quickly showing up and taking us out before we even knew who you were you allowed us to come together.

"More than that, your brother knows about your army. He has a name for them and knows that they are working for you. Yet, he also said that they were of no known world. How, then, did he get any information about them?

"Here's what I think. You have set this up so that you cannot possibly win. I think you want to be taken back to Asgard." Loki immediately protested, but Tony cut him off.

"I think that you may have realized you were in over your head. Whoever you were with, I think they were too much for you to handle and that you realized that you needed protection. And if Asgard put you in prison, well there would probably not be a safer place in the entire world, would there."

Loki stared at the mortal, impressed against his will. Bitterly he said, "You know nothing. You do not know how I have suffered or what it is that I desire."

Tony sighed, "Your brother." Loki looked at him sharply. "Well he seems very different from you. Literally the golden child. I studied up on Norse mythology. You seem to have gotten the raw end of the deal. That's another thing we have in common. We were both second best. I asked Thor about you and he told me about when he was exiled. He told me that you were scorned for doing exactly what he did.

"Let me tell you about my dear old dad. He was a drunk. He never got over the war and he never got over losing _Steve Rogers_." Tony spat the name out with such bitterness that Loki was taken aback. "He spent so much of my life gone; searching for the son he always wanted. I tried so hard to get his attention. I was brilliant. Even smarter than him. I just wanted him to notice me, but no matter what I did, at the end of the day, I wasn't Steve Rogers.

"He died when I was seventeen. It was almost a relief to not have to deal with that constant disappointment. But it was also bitter because he never acknowledged that I was better.

"And now I've met the guy. I really can't see what he was so caught up in. He really doesn't seem that special to me. But then, maybe I'm just taking it out on him because he's here and Dad's not. But anyway. I think you had to deal with all that times however long you've been alive. Thor of course doesn't understand. And you love him and that's what makes the fact that you live in his shadow even worse.

"I honestly understand the trying to prove yourself thing, just like I understand why you let go of that scepter. There comes a point when you really just can't take anymore. But that only led you to an even worse situation. The difference between you and me is that now, when you need help the most, there are people here to help you. Cap seems to like to do the right thing; he'll help protect you from anyone trying to hurt you. Thor wants so bad to help you. I'll help you too, because I know how bad I wanted someone to help me. We can protect you from whomever it is that you're trying to get away from.

"We can help you. SHIELD probably will want something in return, but they will too. Tell me whom you're running from."

Loki stared at the mortal, incredulous, "And you think a handful of mortals will be enough against someone who can frighten a god? I thought you smarter than that."

Tony looked at him unimpressed. "We could at least _try. _What is there to lose from trusting us? How could making friends of us possibly put you in a worse position that making us your enemies?"

Loki found him again impressed against his will. The mortal was annoyingly insightful. The offer was tempting though. The idea of having the Hulk and Thor and perhaps even the Man of Iron willing to fight to protect him was very tempting. The mortal had also made a good point, how could accepting their help possibly hurt him? It could only work to his advantage. Making up his mind, Loki began, "His name is Thanos."


End file.
